1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to microelectronic integrated circuits, and more particularly to a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) device and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Advanced generations of microelectronic integrated circuits use metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices with gate insulator materials having a dielectric constant greater than that of silicon dioxide and silicon-oxy-nitride materials. HfOx and ZrOx materials have been proposed as high-k gate insulator materials. In fact, it is desirable to incorporate these gate insulator materials into a complementary n-channel and p-channel MOSFET (CMOS) process. Moreover, these high-k materials have been used as an etch-stop film, wherein after the etching occurs, the stop film in the connect area of the MOSFET device is converted to metal by a specific annealing process.
For example, in studies examining the effects of ZrO2 and Zr silicate (Zr27Si10O63) gate dielectrics deposited on silicon substrates, these high-k materials showed excellent equivalent oxide thicknesses (EOT) of 9.9 angstroms (ZrO2) and 9.6 angstroms (Zr27Si10O63), with very low leakage currents of 20 mA/cm2 and 23 mA/cm2, respectively (C. H. Lee et al., “MOS Characteristics of Ultra Thin Rapid Thermal CVD ZrO2 and Zr Silicate Gate Dielectrics,” IEEE Tech. Dig., 2000, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference). In another study, HfO2 demonstrated equally as well, having an EOT of 10.4 angstroms and a leakage current of 0.23 mA/cm2 (S. J. Lee et al., “High Quality Ultra Thin CVD HfO2 Gate Stack with Poly-Si Gate Electrode,” IEEE Tech. Dig., 2000, the complete disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference).
However, due to the ever-increasing performance required of MOSFET devices, and the lack of a conventional device capable of meeting performance specifications, there is a need for a new and improved structure and method of manufacturing a high-performance MOSFET device capable of achieving present and future technological specifications for integrated circuit technology.